Food and Recipes

I do realize that when eating out one should seize the opportunity to broaden their culinary horizons, or perhaps venture into new gastronomic territory, but there’s this wonderful little restaurant (Robin’s) in Cambria, Ca. that we love, and when there, I invariably end up ordering the same thing. No matter how seriously I promise myself that this time I will try one of their beautiful curries or maybe the tandoori chicken, I cave. When asked for my order, the words “I’ll have the Chow” escape my lips before I have the chance to warn the waitress to disregard my first request. And then that fragrant bowl of Chow arrives and all thoughts of what could have been vanish. Oh, I do love the Chow.

So what the heck is Chow, you may be wondering? As you can see from the photo, it’s a pasta dish, but oh so much more. It’s also a veggie-laden stir fry with big chunks of soy-laced tofu dressed with soy, ginger, scallions and garlic.

Living halfway across the country from that wondrous little restaurant has made it imperative that I re-create my beloved Chow for home use. I think I have come gosh darn close to the original, and since it’s Meatless Monday, I have decided to share the recipe so you, too, can enjoy Chow at home. If you’re ever in that charming, quaint little town by the sea, you really must stop in at Robin’s. But I won't tell you what to order.

For the Tofu: preheat your oven to 350 degrees.Mix together 1/3 cup of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of Hoisin. Pour into a large flat bowl and add the tofu. Stir to mix and let sit for several minutes to absorb the sauce. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a small baking sheet and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Place your tofu cubes on the foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Heat a large wok or saute pan over high heat, add aa couple tablespoons of oil and then the ginger, scallions, crushed red pepper and garlic. Saute for two minutes and then add the veggies. Stir fry until just barely cooked through, another 3 or 4 minutes.

Stir together 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of hoisin and1/4 cup chicken stock and add to the pan with 3 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add the tofu and the cooked pasta, and heat through, using tongs to get the veggies and tofu mixed in with the pasta.

Remove from the heat and turn into a serving bowl, drizzle with a little more sesame oil, sprinkle with the remaining scallions and serve immediately.

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We love that you're here and hope you'll browse the site and grab some recipes. The Circle B Kitchen has been blogging since September, 2009 and is presently on hiatus. If you have questions about a recipe or the site in general, please let us know...